A new take on environmental management.

AuthorJohnson, Susan
PositionIncludes related article on enlibra principles

As business management techniques have changed, so are political management methods evolving. Here's one that just may work better than a big stick.

We are entering a new era where environmental issues are more complex and their resolution requires "the kind of cooperation and collaboration that the concept of 'enlibra' seeks to represent." - Governor John Kitzhaber

And you thought you had a good grasp of the English language.

A new word has entered the vocabulary of government officials, businesses, environmental groups or anyone who may become involved in an environmental dispute. "Enlibra" - the name of a new set of principles for environmental management - stands for balance and stewardship. It represents a framework for solving difficult environmental problems at any level, a philosophy to guide environmental legislation and a guide for relationships between regulators and the regulated.

The principles themselves have been used for years by various community groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in regulatory reform efforts.

So what is different about this latest effort to guide environmental disputes? The difference is that these principles have the support of the highest ranking western state executive officials - the western governors. They plan to take the doctrine to the National Governors' Association for an endorsement this year.

The western governors are trying to round up official support from state and local officials. So far, several local governments, the Western Interstate Region Board of the National Association of Counties and the American Waterworks Association have endorsed the project.

The reason for this effort is to develop new tools for solving environmental problems with more flexibility and participation and less delay. As a practical matter, it's not clear what the endorsements of the principles will mean and what implementation will look like. These issues, in fact, were the subject of discussion at the Western Governors' Association's Environmental Summit last December in Phoenix. This was the first time many policymakers, including state legislators, were introduced to the doctrine.

Developed by Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, a Republican, and Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, the new approach is touted as bipartisan. Governor Kitzhaber says that "there has always been a tension in the West - between economic development and the powerful landscapes that define this region - between the...

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